CES News (109)

At the Group's 2012 AGM, Janet Orchard gave a presentation on work she and Hugo Whately were conducting, funded by the Culhan St Gabriel's Trust, into initial teacher training for secondary RE teachers. This study has now been completed. It criticises reductions in the numbers of specialist RE teachers trained each year and calls for a richer professional formation that equips teachers to handle moral and ethical judgements in the classroom and enables pupils to understand the significance of religion in the modern world together with the beliefs and values that shape it.

A gifted man, Kolbe was the founder of monasteries in Poland and Japan, produced a monthly magazine with a circulation of over one million, and formed an international movement to help bring people to the Catholic faith. Then, a chance encounter with an ordinary soldier, Franek Gajowniczec, led Kolbe to an extraordinary act – walking away from all that he had and could have achieved.

David Gooderson’s powerful play tells the true story of these two men. One became feted across the globe. The other faded into obscurity. This is their story.

Future Leaders is a fully funded leadership development programme for senior leaders working in challenging schools. Participants are committed to closing the achievement gap through the belief that every child can achieve. In 2006, we launched our flagship leadership development programme in challenging secondary schools in London. Since then we have expanded the programme to include six regions and we now have more than 300 Future Leaders working in over 200 schools across England.

We realise that the attainment gap starts early and that this issue needs to be addressed at the beginning of a child’s education. With this in mind we have extended our flagship programme to include 25 primary participants from challenging schools in London and the North West to join Future Leaders Cohort ’13.

The Future Leaders programme is for current, qualified teachers, who have the talent and commitment to become headteachers of challenging primary schools within two years. Successful applicants to the programme, which is delivered at no cost to the school or the participant, receive 17 days of residential facilitated training, bespoke career support as they progress to headship, on-going coaching from an experienced headteacher, regular training opportunities, an online social network providing tailored support and best practice and visits to exemplary schools across England. This programme gives participants the skills and resources to lead schools that improve the life chances of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

We are looking for schools to nominate staff and to pass on this information to your senior leadership teams for the opportunity to take part in this fully funded programme, where the participant will remain in your school. For more information, please see the attached brochures and our website – www.future-leaders.org.uk. The application window is open until Monday 22nd April. To apply, or if you have any questions about the programme, please contact us on 0800 009 4142 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Cathedrals Group* 2013 Conference and Choirs Festival was hosted in Birmingham by Newman University.

The highlight of the 2013 Choirs Festival was a performance of the ‘German Requiem’ by Brahms, sung by a massed choir of 350 singers drawn from eleven Cathedrals Group universities. Conducted by Derek Wroughton, Choir Director at Newman University, and accompanied by the Birmingham Chamber Orchestra, the professional soloists were Mark Saberton (Baritone) and Caroline Lester (soprano).

The Choirs Festival, held in Birmingham Symphony Hall on Saturday 9 March, also featured a variety of choral pieces performed by the individual choirs. Distinguished guests included James Macmillan CBE, the celebrated composer and conductor who is an honorary graduate of Newman University, and The Most Reverend Bernard Longley, Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, who studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Photos of the Choirs Festival will be available shortly in the Feature Gallery of The Cathedrals Group website*.

This year’s residential conference for the Vice Chancellors and Principals of the 15 member institutions of The Cathedrals Group, focused on plans for collaborative projects and activities and how recent changes to the system of higher education created challenges and opportunities for member institutions, their staff and students. External speakers included Steve Egan, Deputy Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England;

Dr Graeme Atherton, Head of AccessHE and Director of the National Education Opportunities Network; Revd Janina Ainsworth, Chief Education Officer for The Church of England; and Revd Stan Brown, Chaplaincy Officer – Education for The Methodist Church.

Professor Joy Carter, Chair of The Cathedrals Group and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Winchester said: ‘The Choirs Festival has a long history. Professor Grenville Hancox MBE founded this event 25 years ago. In 1988 he came up with the inspirational idea to bring together the choirs from the different institutions to meet each other and share their love of choral music. Since that time the festival has been held in venues around the country and we are delighted to be in Birmingham this year for a very entertaining and inspiring evening.

‘The Cathedrals Group is a group of 15 universities who all share a strong commitment to values. The values of social justice, respect for the individual and promoting the public good. These values are embedded in our histories as Church Foundation institutions. But they are also part of our futures, as we equip new generations of public servants and responsible global citizens. At our conference today we agreed our strategic plan and we look forward to further developing and promoting higher education rooted in our values.’

ENDS

The Cathedrals Group is an association of universities and university colleges in England and Wales with Church foundations, serving almost 100,000 students. It is the only grouping in the higher education landscape based on ethical beliefs and values and a registered charity under its official title (The Council of Church Universities and Colleges).

A principal object of the Cathedrals Group is to contribute to the well-being of society. Member institutions share a strong commitment to values such as social justice, respect for the individual, and promoting the public good through work with communities and third sector organisations.

The Cathedral Group members are: Bishop Grosseteste University; Canterbury Christ Church University; University of Chester; University of Chichester; University of Cumbria; University of Gloucestershire; University of St Mark & St John; Leeds Trinity University; Liverpool Hope University; Newman University; Roehampton University; St Mary’s University College, Twickenham; University of Wales Trinity St David; University of Winchester; and York St John University.

Information about The Cathedrals Group can be found on their website at: http://cathedralsgroup.ac.uk.

For more information and comment, please contact:

Sue Boorman, General Secretary of The Cathedrals Group

Tel: 01438 814868

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Future Leaders programme is a fully funded leadership development programme for teachers who have the talent to become headteachers of challenging primary schools within two years through the belief every child can achieve, regardless of background. The attainment gap starts early and this needs to be addressed from the earliest possible moment, with our six year track record of training senior leaders in challenging secondary schools for 2013 we are expanding our flagship programme to include primary. It provides participants with the training and support to lead schools and make a measurable impact on the lives of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This year they are recruiting 25 committed and inspiring leaders from primary schools in London to join Cohort ’13 to start their individual journeys to headship.

Through on-going expert training, coaching and a network of advice from talented senior leaders, the Future Leaders programme gives participants the support, skills and strategies to lead challenging schools and to make measurable impact on the lives of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Applicants should be qualified current or former teachers who have worked in a school in the last five years, with at least two years' proven management experience. See eligibility criteria

Benefits include:

•17 days of residential facilitated training (prior to the start of the school year)

•Remain in your current school (participating schools must meet our criteria)

•Bespoke career support as you progress to headship

•On-going coaching with a dedicated, experienced headteacher

•Frequent training from leading practitioners

•A social and online network providing tailored support and best practice

A second date is currently being scheduled; please check our website for the latest information.

To RSVP please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information, to apply, or to nominate someone from your school, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us on 0800 009 4142 (open Monday - Friday, 8.30am - 6pm).

John Paul II Foundation for Sport, launched October 2011, aims through sport to enable everyone, in particular the young, to develop their full potential across the PIES - the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual aspects of their lives. This is guided by the principles identified by Pope John Paul II and set out in his declarations and writing.

With this in mind, for the past 16 months the Foundation has been supporting the creation of new sports clubs in parishes and schools across the country. The dream is to free up numerous school sports facilities, particularly in the evenings, weekends and school holidays, to enable local young people to get off the streets to concentrate their energies and so turn ‘gangs into teams’.

The first such club, Sports Squared, opened its doors in September 2012. S2 uses the sports facilities at Sion-Manning School and St Charles VIth Form College, and offers sessions in basketball, dance, fitness, football and trampolining for local children and young adults on Friday evenings.

Sports Squared is making an enormous difference to the community in Ladbroke Grove, London and is living proof just how valuable the work JP2F4S is undertaking.

For more information or if you would like to get involved, visit www.johnpaul2foundation4sport.org or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We welcome the announcement today by the Secretary of State for Education concerning the reform of qualifications at 16. It is clear that the government’s own consultation regarding examination reform showed broad consensus, accepting the need for reform yet rejecting the initial proposals for that reform. That the Secretary of State proposes to reform exams ‘with the help of school and university leaders’ is particularly welcome. Working closely with education professionals will help ensure that any reform will enjoy the widest possible support and confidence.

We are, however, disappointed that Religious Education remains effectively relegated to outside the ‘core’ under these proposals when it is at the very heart of the curriculum in every one of our more than 2000 schools in England. GCSE RE is a valuable and worthwhile subject, but it could be better, and we hope to be able to work with Ofqual and Examination Boards to ensure that it becomes so.

It remains to be seen, of course, how examination reform will now proceed. We are therefore unable to comment further until the detail becomes clear.

Ends

Further information of the reforms can be found on the Department for Education’s website (www.education.gov.uk)

For 2013 Future Leaders are looking to recruit 75 secondary Future Leaders from our six regions as well as 25 primary Future Leaders from London for the first time. The Future Leaders programme is for current, qualified teachers, who have the talent and commitment to become headteachers of challenging schools in an accelerated time frame (four years secondary, two years primary). Successful applicants to the programme receive 17 days of residential facilitated training, bespoke career support as they progress to headship, on-going coaching from an experienced headteacher, regular training opportunities, an online social network providing tailored support and best practice and visits to exemplary schools across England. This programme gives participants the skills and resources to lead schools that improve the life chances of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Applications are open until 19th February for secondary and 19th March for primary. To apply, or for more information visit the Future Leaders website or call 0800 009 4142